


the courage of my convictions

by bird_on_a_wire



Category: The Last Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Hand Jobs, In Vino Veritas, Longing, M/M, Modern AU, Sleepy Boys, Sleepy Kisses, Sleepy Sex, Words of Affirmation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:33:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25631359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bird_on_a_wire/pseuds/bird_on_a_wire
Summary: The idea of something between them is a thought that Finan's kept buried deep, to be resurrected for only the most desperate of nights.Notes: Written for Round 3 of the @tlkfanficfest from the prompts In Vino Veritas and Modern AU.
Relationships: Finan/Uhtred of Bebbanburg
Comments: 18
Kudos: 48
Collections: The Last Kingdom Fanfic Fest





	the courage of my convictions

"Alright, here we go, watch your step." Finan grabs Uhtred's arm as the Dane stumbles, barely catching himself, his shoulder bumping the light post. "Christ, Uhtred." He hooks Uhtred's arm over his shoulder and leads him over to the door to the apartment where Finan lives. 

Uhtred mumbles something mostly incoherent. Finan knows he probably should have cut Uhtred off a while ago at the bar. 

"Just, lean against here," Finan says, slipping Uhtred's arm off his shoulders as he leans his friend against the wall next to the door. "Let me get this fuckin' door unlocked." He could have taken Uhtred back to his own house. Finan's is closer, and Finan would rather sleep in his own bed than on that shitty couch Uhtred has in his living room if he's honest. 

Slowly they make their way up the stairs and into Finan's apartment. It's pretty small, but what do you expect for London these days, especially his salary. The place he'd lived with Sihtric had been bigger. But, he and Eahlswith had decided to get serious and wanted a home of their own. That left Finan stuck finding something close to work and also affordable. 

"Okay, let's get you in bed," Finan says, all but dragging Uhtred across the flat and into the bedroom. 

"You're so good to me, Finan," Uhtred says, with a surprising moment of clarity. "What would I do without you?" Uhtred asks as he plops down at the end of the bed. He's shaky at best, and Finan sighs laughing as he helps Uhtred slip off his sneakers. 

"You'd probably go home with Brida and repeat that mistake again." Finan teases. Uhtred doesn't deny it but groans slightly and falls back onto the bed, his sock feet still on the floor. Tossing Uhtred's shoes to the side, Finan toes off his own boots and heads to the washroom to have a piss. He's feeling a little buzzed, but not as much as Uhtred, now snoring on Finan's bed. 

He washes his hands and heads back into the bedroom, stepping out of his jeans. Uhtred hasn't moved an inch. Cursing, Finan tucks his hands under Uhtred and heaves the Dane up until he can slip a pillow under his head. It's at that moment that Uhtred's eyes pop open. 

"What are you doing?" Uhtred asks with confusion and whiny irritation in his voice. "I'm comfy." 

"I'm getting you up on the pillow, you git." Finan curses, pulling out the quilt from under Uhtred's deadweight body and throwing it over him. 

He shakes his head and goes around to the other side of the bed, pulling back the quilt just enough. As soon as he lies down, Finan realizes he forgot to take paracetamol, but he's just not fussed enough to get back up. The bed is just too damn comfortable. He's almost asleep, his consciousness giving in to that cottony drunk feeling when Uhtred mumbles something and turns his body toward Finan. 

"What'd you say?" Finan asks, looking over at Uhtred. His eyes are barely open, but he's got this almost serene look on his face. 

"This bed smells like you." 

Finan laughs, amused at Uhtred's observation. "Well it's my bed, be weird if it smelled like someone else." 

"I like the smell," Uhtred says, pressing his face against the pillow and inhaling. "You always smell so good." Uhtred's voice is a little breathless, husky. Under any other circumstances, Finan would brush it off, chalk it up to Uhtred being drunk. However, he's still looking at Finan, almost apprehensively. Then his hand is flat against Finan's chest, and Finan inhales sharply. Uhtred's hand is surprisingly warm through the thin cotton of Finan's t-shirt. He tightens his grip on the material as he leans close, his forehead against Finan's temple. 

"Uhtred…" Finan doesn't know what to say, other than his name, and he's not sure it's a plea to continue or a warning to stop, because this is something they haven't even danced around. The idea of something between them is a thought that Finan's kept buried deep, to be resurrected for only the most desperate of nights. Otherwise, he'd spend every waking moment second-guessing every interaction they've ever had for signs that aren't there. His friendship with Uhtred meant too much to risk that. 

The Dane lets out a shaky breath, and heat floods Finan's body at the warmth of Uhtred's breath against his neck. "I just need…" Uhtred's words are quiet, his voice slightly desperate as his fingers fist Finan's shirt tightly. 

"What?" Finan asks. He feels like he's run a marathon, and he wonders if Uhtred can feel how fucking fast his heart is beating. "What do you need?" 

"You," Uhtred says, on a breath. Finan's dick twitches, and he's suddenly aware of how hard he is in his boxer briefs. He wonders if Uhtred feels the same. If he's suddenly as panicked and desperate and needy as Finan feels. 

"Yeah?" Finan asks, tentatively, turning his head to find Uhtred absolutely and completely passed out. "Jesus Christ." He lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, uncertainty welling in his chest. He can't decide if he's relieved that Uhtred might not remember what happened tonight, or disappointed for the very same reason. 

To his surprise, Finan sleeps peacefully that night, and it's the flush of the toilet that rouses him. It's still early because the loft is a hazy blue. The sun not yet risen but just threatening to crest the horizon. Beside him, the spot where Uhtred slept is empty, and Finan feels all the emotions of last night come crashing back. For a moment, he contemplates turning over, pretending to sleep, and hoping Uhtred will just leave before he thinks he's awake. It's a cowardly move, but Finan's done it before. Except he doesn't have time because the bathroom door opens, and Uhtred saunters out in just his boxers, his hair pulled into a bun. 

"Oh, hey," Uhtred says when he sees Finan is awake. He scratches his chest, and Finan's fingertips ache to wonder what his skin feels like on them. 

"Alright?" It comes out half garbled, but it's the only sound Finan can make as he's trying to use most of his brainpower to threaten his half-hard dick into submission. 

Uhtred nods and seems to hesitate for a moment before climbing back into bed. Finan keeps his eyes staring at the ceiling, but he can feel Uhtred looking at him. But he's just brave enough to look. What if Uhtred's looking at Finan like he wants to devour him? What if he's not? 

Finan rubs his hands over his face. Once, twice, three times. 

"Are you freaking out right now?" Uhtred asks, and Finan turns to look at him through his fingers still on his face. He's sitting up in bed, his back against Finan's headboard. He's playing with his necklace, fingers holding onto Thor's hammer. 

"No..." 

Uhtred laughs and reaches over to pull Finan's hands away from his face. "You're freaking out. You look terrified." 

Uhtred's casual laughter irritates Finan and sits up suddenly, swinging his feet off the bed until he's sitting on the edge. "It's not that fucking funny." He snaps, and he's about to get up when a hand touches his back, curving up over his shoulder to stop him from standing. "Finan." 

Finan looks over his shoulder to Uhtred. He's moved to kneel in the middle of the bed to reach him. He's still shirtless, and a piece of his hair is falling along the side of his neck. Finan can't help but feel a growl brewing. 

"Finan," Uhtred says again. He's more insistent this time, pulling on Finan's shoulder until Finan allows himself to be turned around, so they are facing each other on the bed. Uhtred's hand hasn't left Finan's shoulder, and he fidgets slightly with the seam of the t-shirt as they stare at each other. "I didn't mean it like that..." 

Uhtred drags his hand along the curve of Finan's shoulder, calloused fingers running up along his neck to tightly cup the back of it. But it's Finan who makes the first move, lifting up on his knees, so he's the same height as Uhtred. 

"Are we doin' this?" Finan asks, reaching out to curve his hand over Uhtred's shoulder, his thumb rubbing in the dip just below it, skating over the soft skin. 

Uhtred nods. He leans in, his nose bumping against Finan's nose, his mouth ghosting over the corner of Finan's mouth before their lips finally find one another. Their kiss is soft and slow, hesitant as they lick into each other's mouths. Finan groans as Uhtred's teeth nip at his bottom lip. He wraps his arms around the Dane, closing every millimeter of the distance between them. 

They fall back onto the bed, Finan's body above Uhtred, his hips fitting into the space between Uhtred's legs. With just their shorts between them, Finan rolls his hips, his cock rubbing against Uhtred's belly until Uhtred shifts. Suddenly, it's their cocks rubbing against each other. They both groan, their kisses becoming more urgent and frenzied. 

"You feel so fucking good," Finan growls against Uhtred's jaw, their mouths finally separating to breathe. "Is this good?" It's probably a bit desperate to ask. Uhtred nods, his hands sliding over Finan's arse to pull him even tighter against him, grinding his body up against Finan's. 

"Yes, for you too?" Uhtred pants and Finan nods. He bites gently against Uhtred's neck, following closely with a soothing lick of his tongue, and he revels in the noises Uhtred makes when he does both. 

"I want you to touch me," Uhtred pants, his mouth roaming over Finan's jaw, down his throat to nip and suck at the skin where his neck meets his shoulder. 

This all feels a little bit surreal to Finan, like having one of the best wet dreams of his life. Because he never expected this, though he had thought about it enough. But now to have Uhtred actually beneath him, to feel the warmth of him, the length of his cock hard and urgently rubbing against Finan's, it feels unreal. 

"How? Show me." Finan reluctantly pulls away, sitting back on his knees to watch Uhtred shimmy out of his shorts. His cock looks as hard as Finan's feels beneath his own shorts, and Uhtred wraps a fist around it, slowly stroking himself from base to tip. The slit at the top already glistening. Uhtred touches himself for less than a minute before Finan is pushing down his own shorts, his cock springing free as he grabs it with a rough practiced tug. He feels a desperate need to relieve the pressure building, though touching himself does little to subdue the insistent throbbing in his cock, the ache in his balls.

"Do you want me to…?" Finan's voice trails off, but Uhtred is nodding, and he fists his hands into the sheets when Finan wraps his hand around Uhtred's dick. 

Finan couldn't even say the number of times he's touched his own dick, but feeling Uhtred in his hand makes him feel like he's never touched one. He's so hard, but his skin is surprisingly soft, and Finan slowly strokes his hand up and down, reveling in the noises Uhtred makes as he does so. And fuck if he isn't warm as hell. A bead of pre-come pools at the slit and Finan swallows hard, his jaw almost aching to feel the weight of Uhtred's cock, and there's a weight to it, in his mouth. But Finan's not sure of the protocol that happens when you go from best mates to handjobs to gagging yourself on his cock. Instead, he rubs the pad of his thumb over the head, drawing the wet down to the sensitive spot where Uhtred's flesh is tight, below the head. It's a spot that Finan himself loves to have touched, and he tentatively rubs over it with the tip of his thumb. Uhtred moans loudly and thrusts his hips up as his eyes plead longingly at Finan. 

"Do that again," Uhtred begs, and Finan complies before the Dane is even finished speaking. 

Slowly he finds a rhythm, a series of strokes and touches that have Finan forgetting his own raging hard-on. He spends all his focus and energy on making Uhtred fall apart below him. Uhtred's mouth is slightly open, cheeks ruddy, and chest heaving. Finan leans back over him, his hand never stopping as he kisses Uhtred long and deep. 

He jumps when he feels Uhtred's hand circle his cock. He's had hookups in the past, but none of them come close to how it feels right now, as Uhtred fits their cocks together, his fingers intertwining with Finan's as they hold each other. 

Finan feels out of control like he can't remember which way is up or what year it is, or anything other than that he thinks he might be in love with Uhtred and he absolutely is about to come. 

"Christ, I'm already there," he grunts, not stopping and only pressing down harder against Uhtred. "I don't think I can last much longer." 

"It's okay. It's good. Fuck, Finan, it's so fucking good. You're so fucking good." 

And that's how Finan comes, with Uhtred telling him how good he is, how much he wants, how this isn't going to be something that happens just once. He keeps thrusting against Uhtred, his dick incredibly sensitive until Uhtred comes as well, hot and wet and sticky. Their hands and cocks and bellies are covered in their come, but Finan collapses half on to Uhtred, his face burying into his neck. Uhtred’s skin is warm and damp and smells like Finan's sheets mixed with a scent that is inherently Uhtred. And all of it makes Finan feel a little more brave for whatever comes next.


End file.
